The short game is one of the most important parts of the game of golf.
Why?
Because it’s been discovered that 60 to 65% of all golf shots are from inside 100 yards of the hole. Naturally a big part of those statistics comprises of putting (which is not the short game) but the fact is….about 80% of all golf shots golfers lose to par happen within 100 yards of the hole. And the large determining factor of this is how close golfers hit their short game shots.
Yes, that’s right….it’s generally not how well a person putts that determines whether they save par or not but it’s how close they hit there short game shots to the hole.
Let me explain that some more…
When it comes to putting it doesn’t matter how good a putter you become because the bottom line is that the closer you hit the ball to the hole the more chance you have of holing the putt. And here are some telling statistics from the best putters in the world…
- PGA Pro’s hole putts in the 0 – 5 ft range about 95% of the time.
- PGA Pro’s hole putts in the 5 – 10 ft range about 55% of the time.
- PGA Pro’s hole putts in the 10 – 20 ft range about 25% of the time.
As you’ll notice from those stats above….there is a big drop off each time you move further away from the hole. The point is, the further you are away from the hole, the less likely you are to hole a putt. And that doesn’t matter how good a putter you become you’ll always be around those figures because the greens are not perfect.
So once you get your putting to a good standard the only way you can lower your scores is to get the ball closer to the hole. And the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to doing this is with the short game. Because if you’re averaging 30 feet from the hole with a wedge from 75 yards and with practice you get that down to averaging 10 feet from the hole on average then you WILL score lower.
The bottom line is that with the short game it’s very possible to cut a lot of strokes from you scores by working hard and smart on improving this area of your game.
Now before I tell you anything else I first want to explain what the short game is not.
The short game is NOT putting!
Putting is a separate game all by itself. I get sick and tired of people lumping putting in with the short game. It’s not part of the short game…it’s a game all by itself.
So with that being said, here’s what the short game consists of…
- Chipping
- Pitching
- Distance Wedges
- Bunker shots
And that’s the order you should work through to improve your short game.
Now the action of chipping is very close to the putting action. Conversely, the action used for distance wedges is very close to the full swing action.
That may be one reason why a lot of golfers suffer with the short game. It’s a mixture of different aspects of golf. But the short game can definitely be mastered.
Now when you first start working on improving your short game you should focus on consistently landing your ball on the spot you want it to land.
You may think that’s a strange thing to focus on first so let me explain that some more by telling you the…
3 Things You Need To Have For A Great Short Game
1. You need to have control over the physical swing as that produces the trajectory, velocity and spin rate of each shot. And all of this determines where your ball lands.
2. You need to be able to determine and accurately predict how the condition of the ball is lying is going to affect the shot you’re going to play.
3. You need to have a good idea and feel for how the ball is going to react when it lands.
If you look at that list above you’ll notice that it doesn’t matter how good you can become at number 2 and 3….if you can’t consistently hit the ball so it lands on the spot you’ve chosen for your ball to land then everything else is irrelevant.
So that’s why for all four main parts of the short game….
- Chipping
- Pitching
- Distance Wedges
- Bunker shots
…you need to learn how to hit the ball consistently on the spot you want. And initially when you learn this you should do it from a perfect lie.
Naturally you won’t always have a perfect lie on the golf course but that’s not the point of learning the short game this way. The point is that if you can’t hit the ball the distance you want from a perfect lie then it doesn’t matter what the lie is like because you won’t be able to hit the ball the distance you want from a bad lie!
So please understand this…
Every other resource I’ve seen on improving the short game misses the point about only focusing on learning to hit the ball the distance you want. Instead they give you everything needed for a great short game and that leads to very little improvement if any. I believe that is not the best way to improv your short game.
OK, that’s an introduction to my philosophy on what is needed to improve your short game. In part 2 we’re going to look at what you need to do to have a great short and more specifically, we’ll start by looking at chipping. So make sure you signup for blog updates to be informed when I post a new part to this short game consistency and success series.
Tags: consistency, Short Game, success
March 25th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Cheers Nick for the insight into the short game. Sadly it is my downfall. It may seem absurd but I have never worked on landing my golf ball on a given spot consistently!!! I will now give this top priority in my practice. Thank you once again for your wise insight.
March 26th, 2009 at 12:52 am
Dear Sir,
Thats the principle of no arrive on the putting green then your not alive.
The approach shots are very critical and thats for me is my weakest link.
March 26th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Nick for some time now I have really sruggled with my short game, mostly from around the green and mostly to do with inconsistent contact. having said that I do get it right sometimes and focusing on landing the ball on a specific point is what I do, and I find it really works well. I hope you cover striking the ball more consistantly in futre blogs as I personaly would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks….Mike
March 26th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Nick, you have hit the nail on the head. Now how do you manage to get the ball close except practice, practice, practice?
March 26th, 2009 at 2:35 am
Hello Nick
Wise words indeed. My short game has improved to such a degree that my putting average is on the way down from 37 to just under 33 and that is thanks to your short game programme. I still have a way to go to get to 30 as my goal bit I am cofident that with practcing your routine I will get there
Thanks
Mikethaisun
March 26th, 2009 at 5:01 am
Very good article. I also seem to be concerned with contact rather than distance control but I am working on improving the problem with sime success. I look forward to reading further articles.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Sir,
I do follow u n can with testimony say it works. Thank u for d Tips.
Respectful Rgds,
Neeraj
March 26th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Great concept Nick! I get confused on the type of swing to use. The closer I am to the green the tougher it is. I see pros take chip shots with no wrist, just stiff arms. Chipping from the fringe bugs me: I dont know what club or stroke to use. I am familiar with picking a landing spot. I am ok with my lob wedge from 60 yards to 10 yards. I am just not settled on a swing type with an 8 iron from the fringe. I hope you can cover this!
Regards,
Brian
March 26th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Your suggestions sound good to me. I will spend more time in the future controlling the landing point.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Nick, being a chronic short hitter, I spend most of my time 100 yds or less flying wedges high and low to targets..picking spots for the ball to run out or stop…I will practice in the back yard using a garbage can…point is, that what you are preaching is the only way to lower your score
March 26th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Once again you have hit the nail right on the center of the head. Yes,agree this is what’s missing in my game. I have a lot back yard to practice in, so I should be a lot better then I am. So I will be all EARS with the rest of your blogs
Thanks again Nick;
Del
March 26th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Thanks Nick! I can hit the green from any reasonable distance, but can seem to consistantly stop it near the hole for optimal putting outcome. But as I think about what you are saying, I have more errant chips than errant tee shots!
Thanks!
March 26th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Thanks,Nick.Recently I´m plagged with one defect that is costing me many strokes per round : Shots between 40 and 100 yds go directly to the left. I usually performed theese shots prety well. I expect the second part of your article helps me to recover my skilling on those shots.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:17 am
This was one of the best and concise insights into the “short” game I have seen in quite some time. I look forward to reading your next article.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
i am hitting the ball as long as i ever did ,but it stilltakes far too many shots to cover the shorter distance,one shot 230 yds,4-5shots for the shorter 100-150yds,Just doesnt add up.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
nick Ive been a duffer for 30odd years and have learned more from your blogs than all the help,mags,pros that i have ever tried..Another GREAT tip. Keep up the GREAT work Your Fan Gary D.
April 12th, 2009 at 2:06 am
Nick
You are damn right. One of the most important factor to lower your golf score is to have a good short game. I have been practicing my short game but my focus is only how to his hit the ball nicely. Attention is on the acceleration or deceleration on hitting the ball.
If there was improvement it is not so much. With your instructions to focus on the landing spot it has really improved my short game. Thanks a lot.